Notes

Pop Up Archive Item: "National Lampoon founder Matty Simmons w/ Charlie Meyerson, April 30, 1987" : https://www.popuparchive.com/collections/431/items/3337 Transcript for file: National_Lampoon_founder_Matty_Simmons_interview.mp3 00:00:00 I found the National Lampoon in 1970 I made I made chairman of board president of a company editor in chief of the magazine magazine and a producer of Ashley bloomfield call Brett going on going on DVD still have my chin put much should hands on a work with a magazine is the magazine itself I have for the last 2 years is a and I did for the first time 00:00:30 55 years and there was a. In between about 5 or 6 years Versace is where I was in California California a concentrated primarily how to trade primarily of film and the did not say that was that was about from 1979 to through with her early 85 what is a message to focus on a 1975 for this retrospective to go back to 1971 the first issue came out and by the way I have my own personal I have my own personal copy in front of a Welsh with love money is it anyway I have a check out any idea what what 00:01:05 idea what's going for $500 yeah I did it take good care of this care of this um out of debt no you can't fit me like sorry I didn't I didn't how did National Lampoon's get it start what was what was the 1970 like it you prepared for for the world 11 Pokemon actually from Harvard Lampoon WI if I had a company called 21st century communication is publishing Republic of the magazine and in the 1968 weeping t8 we've been approached by a of number for undergraduates 00:01:40 appare over at Harbor the time home OneRepublic a parody of parody of the time of Life magazine I have at 2 I have a2 how much is that worth I don't know okay I know we we we work for the monitor with only had a few weeks ago and we realize it mover tell if anyone running magazine about 6 months 613 months later they decided they want to do a part of Time magazine Time magazine for this time we ko published with the heart the heartland 00:02:15 is it normal to success this time we we were really raining reddit every aspect of it and lovin the the primary primary people involved to the editors the Canon Henry. Or graduating and we all agree that the earth was a good idea it was a good idea was to shut off during National Bank and the have been know you were back how you were bags in this country at that time in Seoul about 40 years every country almost every country in the world how do you move a picture of the United States 00:02:50 States map pack is in an adult 1105 the average readers 12 weather for the month so you want a AccuWeather Harvard students Harvard student that begin um Harbor was built what was the score of the target target what were the goals of that the first years with the pub Laura real gold Gold after all are thinking of planet was fake 00:03:25 make money and in that the American Way Detroit Toyoko any any any targets any any areas that you decide where to go Goleta policy of med is that the Wii with anything and left alright is that the saying his love endures receivable receive a blue funny and the of people people molest make your own comments what does AP liberals conservatives of the middle of the road middle of the road is or whatever and the 00:04:00 the chips fall where they may be felt NFL show me the winning the penny board certified lines related to deal with the deal with politics with willow will emphasize the other magazines for starters first part of chicken should baby be the main map policy we had was that we were going to do everything in a very with a very classy more approachable ProCharger was everything was going to be done very fine art with very good writers 00:04:35 very well and it will do anything cheap what were the inspirations for for a nose people first first without a lampoon the editorial or or or business inspirations inspirations success with animals modells a magazine there anything like it if the early days the early days of the New Yorker in Qatar the biz College Humor back of the 20's who is the model for the moon does no bottle for 00:05:10 bottle for the kind of you were if anyone up who made of possum might have possibly Mollywood lady Bruce what does what do we do you remember best about those really issues uh what worked with didn't what didn't what did you find particularly successful 12 caws we did a lot of love hello first we had the most popular magazine cover history history of the magazine that was so voted the magazine Illustrated America picture of a dog with his head 00:05:45 nobody's baby what's the story with many many many articles articles that the a legendary and then of course Kush mini of all riders have gone on to become how to become the biggest riders film and television lowriders like to jail roster figurative probably the outstanding Journal magazine journalist today we them we wanted to early in the game we wanted to 00:06:20 game Wii with the theater and many other people start working first air can I use beauty stores like John Belushi Chevy Chase Gilda Radner Bill Murray so I think of what I remember fest in one eye what's fun of people the word Lawrenceville are with the medication who was who just had in Norristown a good stories good stories behind the scenes gonna stories about the is my spa select a deal with that first year the first few 00:06:55 the first few issues well I remember Michael Donahue Donny who is a probably the Prince of black comedy later later what are the chief Rider first head writer of the 7 live live every if I had a huge argument fired which is the giving me for forgive me for a getting a telephone call telephone called when they first father said to Mikel of the turbos for you your mother lost a tow it without blinking Michael said did you look behind the river 00:07:30 look behind the refrigerator that's pretty good well uh one day my principal edited the name of the kidney who was one of us eventually was one of the writers read aloud in my opinion is the British humor British you were right or the left the pool 50 years for have so 25 years came to me and said that me and said that Maddie I got a ride I want to leave for a while I go to write about 00:08:05 how to write a novel and I need you know I gotta show you love how to get so he left in the hub hey back 6 months later walking to my office Elvis have me this the array of 30 manuscript pages pages what that I separate its been 6 months on the beach 6 months on the beach writing this came back I should Douglas is terrible you pick it up pick it up is it ok to the West baby temperamental temperamental guy same God came to refill buddy you're so late is better 00:08:40 Maddie II that I can honey more magazine stuff I'm just appear with up to here with them just tried after 2 years later I should you can should you can tan and I didn't want to lose to dougie can leave we're going to do we're going to do a movie and we were just had lived on the spot what movies what movies do I start a talking about living in the push the movie with push the movie with it was Animal House when did the guy was at The Godfather 3 for about 4 years ago Tom 00:09:15 again back to the earliest you the first the first few issues what problems with a river with a magazine that sell for on in terms of getting it out to the public to the public biggest problems history of the magazine still purses and they have fun and they are financial in this #### the right wing conservative elements in the sky this country I have always been violently opposed 2 fat for a magazine of satire 00:09:50 satire which put down a people opal stone ideas in the uterus weigh even though we never take sides we put them side to put down everybody which is the nature of what we do there is a youth where is a youth center magazine in Russia America publish they do the same do the same thing we did the show timings you jump over and then I did it with food with this is the only country wear off of a magazine satire because it feels with subject political and everything else 00:10:25 hot has enormous precios on from from elements of the public and the same group groups that are now in the fire the Evangelist of the leading off groups for depression we have lost millions and millions of dollars advertising because of writing campaigns totally full size shoes does it take to look at is it takes a looking to get to 200 letters what happens if one guy writes a letter in men 200 00:11:00 280 its right the same letter struction the mission the tulips a the let's say the president of tobacco company he gets to unless you just want to wish we fight 3535 so we lose a million dollars and everything and this has been going on it's been worse in recent years and it was wasn't that really do the 7 im so into you been affected by the same for freshers affected the Playboy and penthouse how said I have the difference is it weird for a another erotic magazine 00:11:35 we don't published anything to write a published lower publish Lois show lo dije to the Wii we do mostly in words MN we have visual put the show me the erotic and the moon I know it will not comfortable without a men's magazine in the sand Zenon the sense that play boy its not that I approve of what they did the Playboy Mansion yes we have the same problems only difference is that the 00:12:10 does the they had the biggest numbers so so all of the above it was me to look up and have to say you see a scatter scattered can come into the magazine the magazine itself off early experiments for expenses did you have Michaels features you rather just didn't work work or are you decided decided what were the effects of the eye of the beholder you YouTube YouTube YouTube you man how many pieces you could look at it says you have to take those funny 00:12:45 does the other people to do and just the office of a puma is a very selective thinking very personal convert personal thing people look at it and make their own decisions weather funny but I'm asking is whether you in Indian Trail staff staff decided early on that that's some things to do when appropriate or or 16 s4 successful I personally my biggest scatological you redye try to keep so wharo the next to the other question either way for the same thing is is how has the 00:13:20 this is how has the Lampoon changed over the years from for the first few issues due to the last 7 last several issues TV editorial personalized of FBI FBI think what would you ever answer you think is more interesting but II forces what is happy what is happening to set after we went to the movies with me mabe shoes movie YouTube movies Animal House follow by vacation alright it became known as the man so that Hollywood stars stripping the civil a writers and everything 00:13:55 miss one of the reasons I had to go back in 1985 because I was the one who usually for what are usually found the writers of it's in the morning that's what I've done and now and now the magazine is making a comeback because we have a lot of terrific terrific New York writers 207 tears John Hughes who's John Hughes work for me for 4 years also also the first screen writing script for the first for breading ever did Hannah Cole Road the first episode of television show 00:14:30 and I heard of which which show is at Delta house okay then the the higher the Haight and Todd Carol to write a screenplay the story that I wrote for pictures road for pictures call George Street people nothing which reasons I want to hear what was number was never made them after that I took a short story the Jonathan Richman I made a movie Muvico vacation and then John was on his way Bill Murray push Road first Chevy Road for this Ivan Reitman was my associates on number 00:15:05 on number projects Harold Ramos Road person acted in the show shows for love the righteous to go on the role of the writing everything how many was the biggest if you took the 10 biggest companies comedies of all time 67 would have been affected in the blood didn't have lunch with buy formal approach okay how much is a toilet how is the magazine change tutorial for 1972 until now 00:15:40 well we had the until recently we have better talk of in the 70's you have early 70's when we started we had the Vietnamese Vietnamese War pictures of wonderful and the have the time to recently everybody for Reagan was just the sheriff in the wonderful the wonderful guy doing a great job in the one we made fun of him sunrise the itching to the causes of nude #### attraction recently people uh for some ways I can understand 00:16:15 can understand it be getting to the fifties for have his phone in the NFL weather in after sweeping are any other city intro to physical appearance or corporate store or types of materials around really has been who has been a great deal with change the approach in the backseat basically basically format was in the dark basic approaches approaches the same magazine the new riders write a generator that I love you more than a memory 00:16:50 remember my Ridge allright is it now in the 40's 50's and most of the most of the current staff 2013 #### did you did you in the face did you hear the people at the Harbor to help start the original National Lampoon I have any have any any official expectations a very beginning that that it would grow into the major media and your media empire that has become the the Wii we we really quite on sure because the track record for you maxi this country so bad after its to try to stop 00:17:25 try to stop one less about 3 issues various other people started the other than men other than med which is a shape is a different page bracket a pea the abyss was the first one that have been successful many many years to know we didn't so no we didn't have hope for the best in the we tried and you and use it if you win some you lose some but the we want to again because I focus for this is 1970 what was it anytime in 1970 before 70 before the first year was out they had some ideas for branching out what came first of the radio show 00:18:00 does the radio show the first thing we did after the magazine was is a record album call Radio dinner price and the that was written by Michael done with Tony Hendra that was really the beginning of are going into the end table did the did the when did the first began to take shape was FFA steer Chechnya the wanted um Asheville my general questions in a year nes other aspects of the National Lampoon story or 1917 for tickets at that you like 00:18:35 is it that you like to discuss with you think I was mis my find interesting a 1971 was incredible your boobs will putting something together how to get off from scratch it wasn't like putting together a typical magazine where you could use other magazines prototypes we have to figure out how to how to do this thing how to do it from scratch how to do it blue and the man was a combination of you know I had a lot of user user experience the magazine business in a bunch of 00:19:10 what's your number very very talented ready to go and I think about combining does it work Pacific pride Pacific buy a biographical questions I have a prepaid your background to your staff at me um um AIS Cody right now 5959 59 to back in 1970 were the sea will it be 42 42 a good so yeah okay and the 00:19:45 and the you mentioned your corporation in the spirit you had magazines until until this point to point National Lampoon start a specific magazine what magazine to work out of launch door was one of the founders of the Diamonds club a credit card the nearly 50 cent in the club by starting a magazine Mexico news Diners Club Magazine which became signature which is today and the then when I left the the left the club in the 1960's to start my own publishing business 00:20:20 I start a magical Weight Watchers magazine is it still is very big that is very soon we have a magazine article heavy metal metal which is a science fiction fantasy magazine is probably the probably the most widely read magazine of a kind of the world navigate the first issue that somewhere to live for the love of money to ya half of the LSAT and believe in God is it still in what is it still in the other girls to say everything's fine thank you for your help 00:20:55 thank you for your help I appreciate it OK and you got my phone number just in case anything else please please feel free to call back again have a good day bye